But there's one major thing that bugs me, and I don't want to see it popping up in Eberron, and that's mechanical regional benefits. I like min-maxing, but min-maxing a PC's origin is going too far for me. I shouldn't be deciding my Rogue comes from Amn for the skill boost, it should be purely for character reasons. Also, I find regional benefits similar to subraces, with a lot of the same arguments against it.
EDIT: (though I personally made the house rule that any skills from your region were class skills, I don't believe it was in the rules as such)
Although, I'd actually rather see largely non-region-specific background traits (along the lines of the Scales of War ones, but tailored to Eberron) - but that's mainly because there are so few regions in Khorvaire compared to Faerûn, and I like the mechanic as a way of differentiating characters of the same race and emphasizing the similarities of characters of different races but similar backgrounds.
Regional Benefits don't really fit Eberron as much as they do Forgotten Realms. One thing to remember is that the 5 nations were more likes large states of a larger nation at one time... they all share common features of the greater whole while some regions did have skills better then others... it wasn't exclusive nor excessive...
Even the 3.5 ECS said regions were much more important to your characters than they are in any other setting. "A character in an Eberron campaign setting is never just a human or a dwarf: He is a human from Thrane or a Dwarf from the Mror Holds."
Also to point out: Druid options for animal companions changed (sometimes drastically) with region.
Even the 3.5 ECS said regions were much more important to your characters than they are in any other setting. "A character in an Eberron campaign setting is never just a human or a dwarf: He is a human from Thrane or a Dwarf from the Mror Holds."
That's because nationalism and patriotism are defining characteristics of the setting: if you're a human from Thrane, then you'd better watch your step in Aundair, and vice versa. But that kind of casual bigotry is constant the world over, so mechanical distinctions based on geographic lines are hardly appropriate. Backgrounds like those provided for 'Scales of War' are much more suitable (in fact, were I to run a 4e Eberron game prior to the book's release - an unlikely prospect, alas, due to the fact that our group doesn't like 4e - I'd use those as a guideline).
How?
At the moment, without regional benefits, all classes from Eberron are pretty much the same.
I have noticed that a lot of good player go to great lengths trying to make their character unique from the typical character of a class even it sacrifices a small amount of efficiency.
Region benefits can provide another choice that will help make a character unique.
Yes, there will be Wizards who choose to come from somewhere obscure just to be different.
And while a regional benefit might be significant at first level, it will just be added flavor at the paragon tier.
Most campaign books seem to add languages into the game and this unbalances things somewhat.
Regional benefits add a way to learn some of these new languages.
Hence, I feel that each of these new Campaign Player’s Guides should have a one paragraph region benefit (or group of benefits to choose from) within the description of each region of each continent that is described. It would not take up much space and could add to the gaming value of the book.
As I said before, the designers do need to be careful how this is done.
Nonetheless, if I happened to be running a 4E FR campaign right now, I wouldn't hesitate to tell my players "I'm just not using regional benefits. Deal with it."
Of course, if I was designing regional benefits, I'd want to make sure I felt that they were balanced for those who wanted to use them; I wouldn't want to end up basically punishing characters of a certain class because they went against the theme. Sure, Aundair's supposed to be strong with Arcane, Thrane strong with Divine - but that shouldn't punish a player who wants to be a paladin from Breland. So the fact that people can choose not to use them doesn't change the fact that the designer needs to consider the issues carefully. I'm just saying that as a DM, it's exactly the kind of rule I'd have no problem dropping from my game.
I would prefer to see examples of feats you could take that fit with a certain region or culture (much like the original ECS book).
Mind, I'd like it if you could also pick them up after first level as story rewards. (Perhaps making them almost-unique to specific adventures.)
"Having saved Fairhaven from the Cabal of LeThuy, Nim the wizardess recieved a formal pardon for her crimes and was granted permission to train with the spell-savants of Arcanix. I, however, had a different path. I travelled back to Darguun, and taught the Deadly Scorpion Tail Strike to our past and present allies in the Dhakanni clans. In return, I became the first outsider to be initiated into the ancient secrets of the Elusive Serpent school of chain-fighting. Some day soon, I will sail the Thunder Sea and bring my knowledge back to my kin in the Black Scorpion tribe. But first we have a dangerous foe we must deal with."
My only concern/hope for Eberron regional benefits, if they use them, is to broaden them or make them more diverse. What I mean is if you look at a lot of the 3.5 Eberron stuff (which I love) you see a lot of very specific Khorevaire stuff and then everything else is just lumped together. You are a human from Thrane, or Aundair, or the Demon Wastes or something equally diverse. The instant you're out of Khorvaire its then a human from Sarlona, or shifter from Xen'drik, never mind where specifically you're from. It bugs me only because then you get these seperate splat books about these diverse locations but the rules don't then support them. I understand the ECS came out first and now we have all these things, I just don't want to see it again in 4E Eberron. If someone wants to pick Sarlona as there homeland, with Secrets of Sarlona at my hands, then give me the various countries/regions in Sarlona, don't just lump him in as someone from Sarlona and thats it while the Khorvarian gets to choose from 10+ different regions.
That being said, Eberron rocks and 4E Eberron isn't coming quick enough!!! :D
I'd like to see 'racial' style feats available to some. ie: Brelish Heroism [Breland], or Aundarian Arcana [Aundair] etc.
Just like it's common for a Eladrin to have Eladrin Soldier [Eladrin] as one of their feats, it would be common for a Karnn to have Blood of Karnnath [Karnnath] etc.
Much like a Dragonborn Fighter plays very differently from a dwarf fighter, based on their abilities and GOOD feats, I want a Mror Dwarf Fighter, a Cyran Dwarf Fighter and a Brelish Dwarf Fighter to play a decent amount different.
I'd like to see 'racial' style feats available to some. ie: Brelish Heroism [Breland], or Aundarian Arcana [Aundair] etc.
Now THIS is something I could get behind.
Perhaps regional benefits could be represented as feats or powers (Mainly utility powers) with a backstory element. Sort of like those "You must take this feat at first level" feats from 3.5.
As long as they weren't feats. Because if you have feats that you have to take at first level that are nice and flavorful, but you have other feats that you have to take in order to meet your concept, you don't take the flavor feats at level 1 (for instance, if there's a particular skill you need for your concept, but it's not on your class skill list, then your level 1 feat is probably going to be Skill Training or an appropriate multiclass - so unless a given appropriate regional benefit happened to give that skill, you're not going to take it). This is exactly why none of the games I've ever been in have ever used background/regional feats - they just aren't good enough for anyone other than humans to even consider, and even then, there are so many obviously better choices. Having them be an extra free benefit that's good enough to be a pertinent choice but not good enough to spend a feat slot on is an infinitely better way of handling it.
'free' regional benefits seem like a bad idea if they go much beyond like a free extra class skill or +2 to a skill.. Ok just a bad idea in general.
They're a good replacement for highly situational feats. For instance, Cormyr's bonus to Insight and saves against fear effects are nice for my army scout, but if it were a feat, I wouldn't bother since (a) we haven't encountered any fear effects yet in three levels, and (b) the elf cleric's (untrained!) Insight is just as high as mine (and his Perception is 2 points higher too, curse his pointy ears).
As long as they weren't feats. Because if you have feats that you have to take at first level that are nice and flavorful, but you have other feats that you have to take in order to meet your concept, you don't take the flavor feats at level 1(...)
My intent was that, if they are feats, you wouldn't need to take them at first level.
Either because you gained the ability to take them as a reward for gaining favour with it's home culture ("It is the highest honour given to an outsider, to be permitted to read the Tome of Five Winds and master it's secrets") or that you've had the training and potential to gain the feats benefit ever since you started playing but are only reaping tangible benefits now. ("In that instant, as the ravager bore down upon me, I experienced an incredible moment of realisation, raised my axe and performed that one elusive technique I had been trained in since birth.")
Another possible interpretation is that your abilities are "narratively emergent".
As an example, I'm playing a seasoned halfling rogue in my current 4E game, who's supposed to know his way around a city but doesn't have enough skill choices to take the Streetwise skill. There hasn't been much call for Streetwise checks in our game so far, but once I hit second level, I'm taking a feat to gain the skill and will pretty much say that I've always had it, but it's never come up. (If I do end up flubbing a Streetwise check before then I'll narrate that as a uncharacteristic flub or a surprising misfortune.)
I don't like the fact that they seem to have more benefit if you play against type. For example a magic strong society grants Arcana as a class skill - but if you're playing a magic wielding character, then it is almost certainly a class skill already.
I would prefer to see examples of feats you could take that fit with a certain region or culture (much like the original ECS book).
I thought would be more intelligent if they took class and race into account when they gave regional benefits. Maybe instead of saying, "Arcana is a class skill _and_ you get +2 to Arcana rolls," they should say, "If Arcana wasn't a class skill for you it is now, and if it was already a class skill, you get +2 to Arcana rolls."
Or, since 4e allows a player to make an untrained skill check, just say, "You get +2 to all Arcana rolls."
With either option, Aundair (or Thay) would still be more likely to produce Arcanists, but most people from there could still be expected to know a bit about magic.
Another possible interpretation is that your abilities are "narratively emergent".
Hell, the Forgotten Realms "Sun Elf" and "Moon Elf" feats - the ones that eladrin can take to mechanically define which type of elf they are - aren't even 1st-level only.
What I would like to see is a more generalized character background system. It could include regional background, organizational background, motivational background, and other background categories. The trick is you couldn't choose more than one type. So you could be a Paladin of Thrane or a Paladin of the Silver Flame but not both, even if your from Thrane and worship the Flame. You might be a both a devoted citizen and a devout worshiper but one of those two traits defines you more than the other, or perhaps neither defines your character. Maybe your character is instead a Crusading Zealot (like the Scale of War background).